Carter Barron Amphitheater
Carter Barron Amphitheater has been around for awhile now. Pretty cool stuff.
We will look back on this place fondly.
An amphitheatre was a structure built throughout the Roman empire where ordinary people could watch such spectacles as gladiator games, mock naval battles, wild animal hunts, and public executions. Usually oval in form, the largest examples could seat tens of thousands of people, and they became a focal point of Roman society and the lucrative entertainment business. Amphitheatres are one of the best surviving examples of ancient Roman architecture, and many are still in use today, hosting events ranging from gladiator re-enactments to opera concerts.
Architectural Features
The fully enclosed amphitheatre was a particular favourite of the Romans and evolved from the two-sided stadiums and semicircular theatres of ancient Greece. The date and location of the first true amphitheatre are unknown, but the tradition of gladiator fights had roots in the Etruscan and Osco-Samnite cultures. The earliest securely dated amphitheatre is that of Pompeii, built c. 75 BCE and known as the spectacula. Early structures took advantage of rock and earth hillsides to build the banks of wooden seating on, but by the 1st century BCE free-standing stone versions were being constructed. Amphitheatres of all sizes were built across the empire as Roman culture swept in the path of its army. Indeed, army camps often had their own dedicated arena, usually built using timber and used for training as well as entertainments. Amphitheatres were made oval or elliptical so that the action would not remain stuck in one corner and to offer a good view from any seat in the house.
The Colosseum, officially opened in 80 CE and known to the Romans as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is the largest and most famous example with a capacity of at least 50,000 spectators. Dwarfing all other buildings in the city, it was 45 metres high and measured 189 x 156 metres across. It had up to 80 entrances, and the sanded arena itself measured a massive 87.5 m by 54.8 m. On the upper storey platform, sailors were employed to manage the large awning (velarium) which protected the spectators from rain or provided shade on hot days. — from the history of ampitheaters — https://www.worldhistory.org/amphitheatre/
The Friends of Carter Barron Foundation of the Performing Arts, lead by an active group of boards, since 1994, has been recognized for its Academic Remediation Services & Technical Computer Graphics Summer offerings and its comprehensive and structured integrating performing Arts Educational Semester-based program designs that continue to improve academic, basic work readiness, and performing art career competencies of District of Columbia children and youth, defined as our under-represented low-income gifted and talented young population. — this is a pretty great organization that keeps the Carter Barron Ampitheatre alive and well!
Written by Carter Atchison